Notarization is performed as follows:

First of all, you should specify the target form of the document to be provided to the official authority: either stitched with the original, document or its notarized or simple copy.

Then we translate your document and have it recorded by a notary. The translation and its source document (the original or a copy) are stitched together, then the notary authenticates the translator’s signature and specifies his own name together with that of the translator and the number of sheets stitched on the last page of this document.

Requirements to the documents to be translated:

1. The document shall be executed in accordance with the current legislation and shall contain no erasures, notices or unconditioned emendations.

2. The source document containing more than one sheet shall be stitched, paginated, and sealed by the issuing organization.

3. Signatures of the natural persons acting as attorneys-in-fact and of the persons acting on behalf of any foreign legal persons shall be notarized.

4. Any documents issued outside the Russian Federation and presented for the notarized translation are subject to legalisation (i.e. shall have consular legalisation or apostille).

About legalisation:

A document issued in any country is effective only in the territory of this country. For this reason, to be presented to the official bodies of the other countries it requires legalisation. Legalisation of the document is always carried out in the territory of the state where it was issued or drawn up. There are two types of legalisation:

Consular legalisation is a complicated procedure comprising document authorisation by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, by the Russian Foreign Ministry, and then by the consulate of the country of destination in the Russian Federation. In this case the document will be effective only in the territory of the country, the consulate of which has stamped it with its mark;

Apostille is a simplified form of legalisation used when the documents are sent to the member countries of the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, which abolished the requirement of the consular legalisation and introduced a simplified legalisation procedure, i.e. marking the documents with the stamp Apostille.

Notes:1. However, in some cases many non-member countries of the Hague convention do accept the documents carrying Apostille stamp;
2. In some cases, when a country joins the Hague Convention, a number of member countries may decide not to recognize it and refuse to accept the documents containing the stamp Apostille issued by such a country. Russia’s joining the Hague Convention is recognized by all the member countries.

Important: The main source of the reliable information is the organisation where the document is to be provided. You should clear out all its requirements beforehand.

Legalisation is not required in the following cases:

if it is not requested by the official authority where the document is to be provided;

in case there exists a bilateral agreement between Russia and the country of destination abolishing legalisation (e.g. former Soviet republics);

if legalisation is no longer necessary for the particular type of documents.

The following documents, are not subject to legalisation according to the Regulation on the Consular Legalisation of the Russian Foreign Ministry:

- passports or equivalent documents;

- military ID, work record cards;

- ID cards;

- driver’s licences;

- documents directly related to any commercial or customs operations (invoices, documents for cross-border shipments; agreements for shipping of goods or rendering of services, for execution of works and settlements in accordance therewith; customs reports, etc.);

- besides, legalisation of the documents contradicting the current legislation or those the content of which may harm the Russian interests is also prohibited.

Cost of work

The cost of translation of the official documents with their subsequent notarization is calculated is follows: